ACCOLADES

The Methodist Transplant Center’s lung transplant program received a Bronze Award from the Health Resources and Service Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The transplant program is the largest in the United States. The award measures performance, based on post-transplant survival rates, transplant rates and mortality rates after patients have been placed on the waiting list. Only 22 percent of transplant programs in the United States receive this award. n

Dr. Timothy Boone, chairman of the Department of Urology at The Methodist Hospital, has been named president of the American Board of Urology.

The organization certifies urologic physicians who meet its educational, professional peer review and examination criteria. n

Dr. Bobby alford has stepped down as chairman of the otolaryngology programs at The Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Alford, chairman of Methodist’s Department of Otolaryngology since 1967, was instrumental in developing the hospital’s Neurosensory Center, which includes the Institute for Head and Neck Surgery. He is an internationally recognized leader in otolaryngology and under his leadership, the Baylor and Methodist otolaryngology departments rose to preeminence in patient care, post-graduate education and research. n Randee Regan, RN, CNOR, has been named the Brown Foundation Inc. Outstanding Nurse for 2010, at The Methodist Hospital.

Regan is a charge nurse in the Main operating room, where she coordinates use of the da Vinci surgical robot and is also a resource nurse for urology cases. With more than 26 years of nursing experience, she is the 21st nurse to receive this annual award. n

Rosemary Moreno is the first employee in the more than 90-year history of The Methodist Hospital to reach 50 years of service.

Moreno, who has always worked in the Ophthalmology Surgery Department, has served in various capacities since she began on June 1, 1960 at the age of 17. She now works as the department’s receptionist. Moreno was selected to push the detonator button to bring down the Diagnostic Clinic Tower on Fannin Street in 2006. The building was demolished to make room for the Methodist Outpatient Center, which opened last year. n

The Methodist Hospital has received full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This is a full accreditation, following the initial approval received upon beginning the medical education program in 2005. The hospital has 24 residency programs. 

Kenisha Rayfus, a unit secretary on Jones 9 at The Methodist Hospital, has been named as the first recipient of the hospital’s Nursing Support Team Appreciation and Recognition (STAR) Award. The program was established to recognize nursing support team members who exhibit compassionate care, possess a great work ethic and demonstrate a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. 

The Methodist Hospital System is ranked No. 19 among FORTUNE magazine’s 2011 “100 Best companies to Work For, ” making the list for the sixth year in a row. It is the highest ranked health care organization in the country and the only hospital system ranked in Texas. Methodist was selected based primarily on a confidential survey sent to randomly selected employees, who were asked questions on the level of trust, pride and camaraderie within their workplace. Methodist also submitted documentation about its work environment, from benefits to corporate policies to employee demographics. 

Robert “Bob” Kidd has been named director of The Methodist Hospital’s Spiritual Care and Education Department.

Kidd, who is a board certified chaplain, has more than 23 years of experience as a chaplain at Methodist. He recently served as president of the board of directors of the American Association of Professional Chaplains. 

Stephanie Garee, M.S.N., RN, CEN, received the 2010 Good Samaritan Excellence in Nursing Gold Award.

She was selected from hundreds of nominees from 13 counties comprising the greater Houston area. Garee, who is a nurse manager on the orthopedic unit, accepted her award at the Sixth Annual Excellence in Nursing Awards Luncheon on Sept. 16. 

Youli Zu, M.D., Ph.D., has received a $1.57 million NIH grant

Zu, a hematopathologist in the Department of Pathology at The Methodist Hospital, will use the funding to support his research to develop a bifunctional nanomedicine for specific imaging and targeting therapy of anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a relatively uncommon type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that arises from T-cells. 